Cairo – Engineer Nafisa Mahmoud Hashem, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Housing and Head of the Housing and Utilities Sector, has revealed details of Egypt’s winning entry for the 2024 Award for Best Implemented Housing Project from the Council of Arab Ministers of Housing and Construction. The award was given to the “Rod El-Sayeda” project, which was formerly known as “Tal Al-Akareb” before its redevelopment.
In a statement, Hashem explained that the submission process for the award took six months, during which the ministry worked to select a project that met the award criteria. Under the supervision of Dr. Abdelkhaleq Ibrahim, Assistant Minister of Housing for Technical Affairs, and in collaboration with Engineer Jihad Hesham and Hiba Allah Gamal, who coordinated between the ministry and the Arab Council, the “Rod El-Sayeda” project was chosen and successfully won the award against stiff competition from other projects across the Arab region.
Hashem also noted that this is not Egypt’s first recognition from the Council of Arab Ministers of Housing and Construction. Egypt previously won awards for projects like the desert villages in Assiut Governorate, the “Future Housing” project, and most recently for the “Family House” architectural design.
Dr. Abdelkhaleq Ibrahim further elaborated on the significance of the “Rod El-Sayeda” project, which marked the complete redevelopment of the Tal Al-Akareb area in Cairo’s Sayeda Zeinab district. Residents were temporarily relocated during the construction, with the state covering rental costs, and once completed, they were moved back to a fully serviced and modernized area. The design carefully considered the historical and architectural context, reflecting the Islamic style to match the heritage of the surrounding Sayeda Zeinab and Fustat areas.
Dr. Ibrahim emphasized that Egypt’s efforts in upgrading unsafe areas have set a global standard, improving the quality of life for nearly 2 million citizens living in 357 unsafe areas nationwide, by constructing approximately 300,000 housing units to rehouse affected residents.
